Ray Rice Says He's Not Giving Up on NFL Return

It's been over three years since Ray Rice last played in the NFL, but the former Baltimore Ravens running back is still hoping to resume his professional career.

During an appearance at a charity basketball game hosted by his former Baltimore teammate Torrey Smith, Rice addressed his standing in NFL circles.

"The reason why I'm not playing football, you do the dots," he said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "It ain't because I'm a bad football player. That's just keeping it real. I'm never giving up and never giving in."

Rice was released by the Ravens and indefinitely suspended by the NFL—he had previously been given a two-game suspension by the league—in September 2014 after TMZ released video footage showing him punching his then-fiancee while the pair was at a casino in Atlantic City seven months earlier.

Three months after his indefinite suspension was handed down, Rice won his appeal and was immediately reinstated, making him eligible to sign with any team.

"I can still play football," Rice said at Smith's charity event. "I'm never going to give up. You're never going to hear me say I gave up."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last September there was "a growing sense inside the league" Rice could receive an opportunity to play in the NFL again. He said the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills previously expressed interest in signing the 30-year-old.